Adding a Helm chart repository or registry

This page describes how to add a new Helm chart repository or registry.

PipeCD supports Kubernetes applications that are using Helm for templating and packaging. In addition to being able to deploy a Helm chart that is sourced from the same Git repository (local chart) or from a different Git repository (remote git chart), an application can use a chart sourced from a Helm chart repository.

Adding Helm chart repository

A Helm chart repository is a location backed by an HTTP server where packaged charts can be stored and shared. Before an application can be configured to use a chart from a Helm chart repository, that chart repository must be enabled in the related piped by adding the ChartRepository struct to the piped configuration file.

# piped configuration file
apiVersion: pipecd.dev/v1beta1
kind: Piped
spec:
  ...
  chartRepositories:
    - name: pipecd
      address: https://charts.pipecd.dev

For example, the above snippet enables the official chart repository of PipeCD project. After that, you can configure the Kubernetes application to load a chart from that chart repository for executing the deployment.

# Application configuration file.
apiVersion: pipecd.dev/v1beta1
kind: KubernetesApp
spec:
  input:
    # Helm chart sourced from a Helm Chart Repository.
    helmChart:
      repository: pipecd
      name: helloworld
      version: v0.5.0

In case the chart repository is backed by HTTP basic authentication, the username and password strings are required in configuration.

Adding Helm chart registry

A Helm chart registry is a mechanism enabled by default in Helm 3.8.0 and later that allows the OCI registry to be used for storage and distribution of Helm charts.

Before an application can be configured to use a chart from a registry, that registry must be enabled in the related piped by adding the ChartRegistry struct to the piped configuration file if authentication is enabled at the registry.

# piped configuration file
apiVersion: pipecd.dev/v1beta1
kind: Piped
spec:
  ...
  chartRegistries:
    - type: OCI
      address: registry.example.com
      username: sample-username
      password: sample-password

Last modified March 28, 2023: Release v0.43.0 (#4290) (a995586a)